Dancing Raccoon Taken By Authorities

There’s no peace in the land for a man and his dancing raccoon. If you haven’t seen this video of a man dancing with his pet coon to Aretha Franklin, it is rather entertaining. The title is “The Hillbilly Slide And One Mad Coon Starring Your Favorite Coon and Coonrippy!”

The video has generated over one million views so far, and it might have sparked the attention of Tennessee authorities who confiscated the playful animal. The moral of the story seems to be, ‘If you like dancing with your coon to great tunes, don’t videotape and share on YouTube.’

It also may have been a neighbor’s complaint that got the critter taken away. They are not legal, to have as pets in Tennessee, because they can carry rabies and this disease can be fatal to humans. A raccoon carrying rabies can also show no signs they have the disease. This is not to say all raccoons should be feared or that there should be any aggression towards them. The main safety measure is to leave them alone. Raccoons are known for their intelligence and playfulness, so they have an appeal for people who want them as pets.

There are far better pets to have though and many animals in shelters that need to be adopted or they will be euthanized. The problem with online videos that make certain animals look fun, is that they may be giving people the wrong ideas about them. Then it is more likely they too will want one, though they don’t know the dangers. In the end, it seems it is the animals that suffer and are eventually euthanized because they adapt to living near or with humans and can’t survive in the wild any longer. The confiscated coon is reportedly now at a wildlife center.

Would you keep a pet raccoon?

6 thoughts on “Dancing Raccoon Taken By Authorities”

  1. Mark Coonrippy Brown

    I have sent numerous emails asking Governor Haslam to help us with a permit or a pardon or what ever he can do to allow us to have our baby back. I know that you are a very busy man and most would feel that this isn’t important at all, that taking Rebekah from the people who bottle fed and raised her up until the point that she was taken just isn’t something to worry about or to deal with. Sir, the men that came to get Rebekah know Mark Brown and he knows the both of them. Mark ask them what brought them here and they told him they had seen Rebekah on TV the night before. These two men also knew that the raccoon “Gunshow” that Mark had for four years was a Youtube star and had been in many newspapers and on many TV shows and news channels and they never came to take him away. When Mark found “Gunshow” he called the TWRA three times for them to come pick him up…Gunshow’s little eyes wasn’t even open yet and the TWRA never came or responded. Days turned to weeks, weeks to months, months to years and Gunshow was part of Mark’s family and like his own child. Gunshow passed away in January of this year and we were heart broken.
    When these two men were here to get Rebekah Mark ask them why they never came for Gunshow and they responded “That was then and this is now”. It seems like these people like to do things they want to when they want to do them and if they don’t feel like it at the time they don’t do it. Sir, I feel that these men came to get Rebekah because they knew she was our new baby and was in our videos and was a famous raccoon just like Gunshow was before he passed away. Our videos are mine and Mark’s life and the way we live and were very happy with each other and we love our pets dearly. We are good honest people that love animals and nature and we don’t get out and do much because we enjoy being home with each other. We sit around and be silly and we make videos and it has turned into what it has and we had no idea that it would turn into what it has turned into but people love our videos and our youtube channel, we have over 4000 subscribers and millions of views. Anyway, I don’t think these men from TWRA would have come to get our Rebekah if she hadn’t been our raccoon and hadn’t been famous along with us and our youtube videos. I’m sorry but that it just the way I feel. The way they have done is not right at all. If they were going to take our Rebekah then they should have come to take Gunshow. I know this is hard for most people to understand but Rebekah was like our child and we had a bond with her that most people will never get the chance to have with any animal and Rebekah had the same bond with us. I can’t imagine how she felt when Mark had to put her in that cage and they hauled her off. Please sir, find a way to help us, we need you and I am sorry that I have bothered you so many times but it has been 30 days since they took Rebekah and it seems like years. Sometimes I feel that I must give up and forget her but something keeps eating at me and I can’t give up on her.. I can see her face and we feel that she would want us to fight for her so we have to keep trying. We still have a chance with Rebekah Mr. Haslam if you will just find it in your heart to allow us to get her back and give us a permit to keep her or whatever you can do. Please and I have never begged so hard for something in my entire life but my heart is broken and I will never forget about Rebekah.
    Please help us soon, to many days have passed already and we really don’t even know if she’s still alive or what is going on with her.
    We need your response and I know this isn’t so important to most but it is very important to Mark and myself.
    Give us our baby back and we know she wants us back.
    Please call 615-804-3962
    Thank you for taking the time to read this email and please don’t forget about us.
    Connie and Mark
    Rebekah “Gunshow” Rippy’s parents

  2. Mark Coonrippy Brown

    I have sent numerous emails asking Governor Haslam to help us with a permit or a pardon or what ever he can do to allow us to have our baby back. I know that you are a very busy man and most would feel that this isn’t important at all, that taking Rebekah from the people who bottle fed and raised her up until the point that she was taken just isn’t something to worry about or to deal with. Sir, the men that came to get Rebekah know Mark Brown and he knows the both of them. Mark ask them what brought them here and they told him they had seen Rebekah on TV the night before. These two men also knew that the raccoon “Gunshow” that Mark had for four years was a Youtube star and had been in many newspapers and on many TV shows and news channels and they never came to take him away. When Mark found “Gunshow” he called the TWRA three times for them to come pick him up…Gunshow’s little eyes wasn’t even open yet and the TWRA never came or responded. Days turned to weeks, weeks to months, months to years and Gunshow was part of Mark’s family and like his own child. Gunshow passed away in January of this year and we were heart broken.
    When these two men were here to get Rebekah Mark ask them why they never came for Gunshow and they responded “That was then and this is now”. It seems like these people like to do things they want to when they want to do them and if they don’t feel like it at the time they don’t do it. Sir, I feel that these men came to get Rebekah because they knew she was our new baby and was in our videos and was a famous raccoon just like Gunshow was before he passed away. Our videos are mine and Mark’s life and the way we live and were very happy with each other and we love our pets dearly. We are good honest people that love animals and nature and we don’t get out and do much because we enjoy being home with each other. We sit around and be silly and we make videos and it has turned into what it has and we had no idea that it would turn into what it has turned into but people love our videos and our youtube channel, we have over 4000 subscribers and millions of views. Anyway, I don’t think these men from TWRA would have come to get our Rebekah if she hadn’t been our raccoon and hadn’t been famous along with us and our youtube videos. I’m sorry but that it just the way I feel. The way they have done is not right at all. If they were going to take our Rebekah then they should have come to take Gunshow. I know this is hard for most people to understand but Rebekah was like our child and we had a bond with her that most people will never get the chance to have with any animal and Rebekah had the same bond with us. I can’t imagine how she felt when Mark had to put her in that cage and they hauled her off. Please sir, find a way to help us, we need you and I am sorry that I have bothered you so many times but it has been 30 days since they took Rebekah and it seems like years. Sometimes I feel that I must give up and forget her but something keeps eating at me and I can’t give up on her.. I can see her face and we feel that she would want us to fight for her so we have to keep trying. We still have a chance with Rebekah Mr. Haslam if you will just find it in your heart to allow us to get her back and give us a permit to keep her or whatever you can do. Please and I have never begged so hard for something in my entire life but my heart is broken and I will never forget about Rebekah.
    Please help us soon, to many days have passed already and we really don’t even know if she’s still alive or what is going on with her.
    We need your response and I know this isn’t so important to most but it is very important to Mark and myself.
    Give us our baby back and we know she wants us back.
    Please call 615-804-3962
    Thank you for taking the time to read this email and please don’t forget about us.
    Connie and Mark
    Rebekah “Gunshow” Rippy’s parents

  3. Keep taking away people dancing with wild animals and soon our country will be totally filled with Kardashians and “America’s Got Talent” contestants.

  4. Keep taking away people dancing with wild animals and soon our country will be totally filled with Kardashians and “America’s Got Talent” contestants.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Scroll to Top